Trust Me
by FleurHartz
Summary: **UPDATED** Chapter Five is up! Irina meets up with Sark again, joins with Sloane, and meets Marshall (whew!). Jack and Sydney have a fight. R/R!
1. The Harder it is to Leave

A/N- This is post-"Phase One." It will eventually be J/I, with some little bits of S/V.  
  
Trust Me  
Chapter One  
  
Irina raced up the hotel stairs, her heart still pounding from the news she had just gotten. She had been so shocked that she hadn't left in time, and was now late for her meeting with her KGB contact, Martin Kristoff. She reached the room as fast as she could, digging through her purse for her key to Room 47. She finally found it, opening the door.  
  
"You're late." Kristoff greeted her.  
  
"I know." Irina said simply, her mind elsewhere.  
  
"Well, do you have anything for me?" He asked, his heavy Russian accent hinting at impatience.  
  
"Jack hasn't even mentioned Project Christmas this whole month to anyone as far as I can tell. The only thing I found that tells us anything is this," Irina handed him a sheet of paper from her purse, "It was on his computer- some questions he's brainstorming to put on the test."  
  
"Very good, Irina." Kristoff pocketed the sheet of paper.  
  
"Thank you, sir." Irina drummed her fingers on the desk, wanting to go home.  
  
"Are you all right?" Kristoff asked, not with concern, but with suspicion.  
  
"Actually, no." Irina decided she had to tell the KGB eventually, why not now?  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"It seems my mission might have to be altered slightly." Irina said, not looking at him.  
  
"And why would that be?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
"What?" Kristoff sputtered incredulously.  
  
"I just found out before I came over here." Irina looked up.  
  
"How could this have happened?" He asked angrily.  
  
Irina gave him a look.  
  
"I mean, I know HOW, but Irina, this changes everything! We were going to pull you off the Bristow case in a month!"  
  
"I know that, Kristoff."  
  
"It's is Jack's, right?" Kristoff asked, lowering his voice even though no one was listening.  
  
"Of course, it's Jack's! I would never jeopardize this assignment with an affair!" She rolled her eyes, impatient with this meeting and really wanting to leave.  
  
Kristoff fell silent for a moment, watching Irina carefully.  
  
"Do I need to request immediate removal from this case?" He said finally.  
  
"What? Why would you do that?" She answered quickly.  
  
"I think you're becoming too emotionally involved with Bristow." He said, watching carefully for her response.  
  
"No, there's no need for that, Kristoff. At least let me stay until I have the child. Look at this way-the longer I'm there, the more information the KGB gets on Project Christmas." Irina could tell he would agree.  
  
"All right, Irina. You can stay. But remember something about being undercover…the longer you stay, the harder it is to leave." Kristoff looked at her purposefully.  
  
"I'll see you next month." Irina said curtly, getting her purse and leaving the room.  
  
~*~  
  
She reached home at last, their beautiful two story home in California. Irina's head was swimming with thoughts about her pregnancy. She had felt so happy and but also so guilty when she had read the test. She wanted to have Jack's child. But in reality, she wasn't even really doing that. Laura was. Some days she wanted to tell him so badly it hurt. They'd been married for a year, and he'd never even suspected her for a moment. She hated lying to him like this. Irina lied so easily usually; she didn't understand why this time it was so hard.   
  
Because you love him, an insistent voice in her head told her.  
  
Irina blinked back tears, mentally commanding herself to pull it together. She was on assignment; her feelings didn't matter. She got out of her car, walking towards the house. Jack's car was already parked out front. He must have gotten home early.  
  
She unlocked the front door, walking in, instantly greeted with the smell of Chinese food.  
  
Jack was sitting on the couch, his tie loosened and his shoes off, eating Chinese take-out.  
  
"Hey, sweetheart." She smiled at him, and he noticed her for the first time since she'd gotten home.  
  
"Hey, honey, you're home." He got up, kissing her as usual, and handing her a container of Chinese food.  
  
"Thanks for picking up dinner." She smiled, grabbing chopsticks.  
  
"Of course. How was the meeting up at school?" He asked her, going back to the couch.  
  
"Boring. It was just the English department discussing next year's book list." She sat next to him on the couch.  
  
They both sat in silence for a moment, watching the news on TV. Irina wasn't listening at all, lost in thought about how to tell him.  
  
"Laura, are you all right?" He asked finally.  
  
She looked at him for a moment.  
  
"Jack…I need to tell you something."  
  
~*~  
  
Irina snapped awake from her dream, sighing slightly. She remembered every detail of that day, and for some reason she had been having dreams of different parts every night. Discovering the positive pregnancy test. Telling Kristoff. Telling Jack and how happy he had been. She'd never even known he'd wanted children so badly. Irina sat up on her bed, remembering how excited Jack had been about being a father. Her heart twisted with remorse.  
  
She stood up, pacing her cell. It must be late at night, because no one but one guard was outside her cell, and he looked halfway asleep.  
  
Irina felt as if something was wrong. Neither Jack nor Sydney had come to see her the entire week. Something must be wrong. She wished they would come tell her what.  
  
Irina sat back down, feeling so restless. She wished there would be some new excuse for her to leave the cell. Going to India had only made it harder to go back to her cell. It had been so great to be out there in the field again, especially with the family she had missed more than she could ever make clear to them.  
  
Rolling her neck and hearing it crack, cramped from her uncomfortable mattress, Irina sat on the ground, leaning up against the wall. She felt so uneasy for some reason…something was about to happen to her. Something big.  
  
~*~  
  
"Congratulations to everyone on the take-down of SD-6!" Kendall smiled warmly at all of the involved agents. Cheers rang out across the briefing room.  
  
Sydney sat next to Vaughn, holding his hand under the table. After they had kissed, both had just stood there for a moment, so happy and so unsure of what they could possibly say to follow a moment like that between them. Finally, he had just taken her hand, smiling. And they had gone back to the CIA, just like that.  
  
Sydney couldn't decide how to feel right now. She was elated about Vaughn. She was worried about her dad. She wanted to go tell her mom what had happened. She wanted to celebrate the end of SD-6. And some part of her knew she should be waiting for a backlash to all this. After all, where was Sloane?   
  
"What are you thinking about?" Vaughn whispered to her.  
  
"Oh, lots of things. You," she said, smiling at him, "and I really want to go check on my dad at the hospital."   
  
"Well, we'll both go check on him as soon as Kendall lets us out of here." He stroked her hand with his thumb reassuringly.  
  
"Thanks." She smiled appreciatively, and they both got back to listening.  
  
"All of you are welcome to a well-deserved day off tomorrow in celebration of your victory against the Alliance. I'll see all of you on Wednesday. Congratulations again." Kendall smiled, an actual, genuine smile, directed at all of his agents.  
  
Vaughn and Sydney got up to leave. Kendall cut them off, shaking both of their hands.  
  
"Excellent work out there, Agent Bristow, Agent Vaughn. I'm very proud of both of you."   
  
"Thank you, sir." Sydney smiled at Kendall's almost giddy state.  
  
"I'll see you Wednesday." He patted Vaughn on the back, grinning at Sydney.  
  
"Yes, sir." Vaughn replied, leading Sydney out the door.  
  
~*~  
  
"Really, I'm fine." Jack assured the doctors impatiently.  
  
"Sir, you've just almost had your heart stopped by an electrical torture device. I think it's not out of line of us to run some tests just to make sure everything's in order." The CIA medic said, checking his heart rate.  
  
Just then, Sydney and Vaughn burst into the room.  
  
"Dad…you're all right." Sydney went instantly to his side.  
  
"I'm fine, really. I just want to go home." Jack said to her.  
  
"Understandable. You've had a pretty exciting day." Sydney grinned at him.  
  
"How did everything…" Jack's voice trailed off, he was obviously exhausted.  
  
"We did it, Dad. SD-6 was completely destroyed, along with the other SD cells in the Alliance."   
  
"That sounds insane even to hear you say that." Vaughn shook his head, standing in the corner.  
  
"Just like that?" Jack said somewhat suspiciously.  
  
"Well, I mean, I'm sure they are still things we need to take care of, but basically, yes, for now. It's over."  
  
Jack seemed fully awake now, his sharp mind quickly processing way too many thoughts for his fatigued body to keep up with.  
  
"Everything looks in order, Mr. Bristow." The doctor snapped him out of his thoughts.   
  
"All right. Thank you." Jack said, getting up.  
  
"Do you want me and Vaughn to drive you home, Dad?" Sydney asked as her dad started for the parking lot.  
  
"No, I have to make a stop."   
  
"Where?" Sydney asked incredulously, wanting him to get some rest.  
  
"I need to ask your mother something." Jack said simply, getting into his car and driving off into the night.  
  
Vaughn looked at Sydney curiously.   
  
"Don't ask me." She said, shrugging.  
  
~*~  
  
A/N- That's it for now! The more reviews, the faster I write. And believe me, it's about to get a lot more interesting. 


	2. So it Begins

A/N- Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep them coming, and I'll keep writing!  
  
Trust Me  
Chapter Two  
  
Irina sat on their bed, watching a Cheers rerun. She heard Jack brushing his teeth in the bathroom. The theme song started to play, and Irina felt a headache forming.  
  
"I hate this show." She whined.  
  
"Then change the channel." Jack shrugged.  
  
Just then, the phone rang. Irina rolled over to Jack's side where the phone was on the bedside table.  
  
"Bristow residence." She said breezily.  
  
"Irina, it's Khasinau."  
  
Irina's heart jumped in her chest. She didn't reply.  
  
"Kristoff has informed you that you have provided no valuable intel on the Jack Bristow case in three months and that you keep putting off extraction from the Bristow case with weak excuses. We need you for another mission, now. Your extraction date is tomorrow."  
  
"No." Irina said resolutely.  
  
"Then we will kill your husband and daughter and make you come back." Khasinau replied simply.  
  
Irina's blood ran cold.  
  
"I'm not coming back. I'm staying. You have other capable agents, let them do the mission." She whispered urgently into the phone, feeling tears forming in her eyes.  
  
"Irina, I'm not calling again. You will call Kristoff as soon as Jack leaves for work and Sydney for school. You two will meet and plan your disappearance, which will take place tomorrow night. You call Kristoff tomorrow morning, or I will have your family killed. You know I can do it. It's over, Irina."   
  
Click. Khasinau had hung up. She couldn't argue, couldn't plead. She could do nothing but leave. Irina put the phone down with violently shaking hand.  
  
"The new toothpaste you bought tastes really weird." Jack's voice snapped her out of her shock as he entered their room.  
  
Irina couldn't speak for a moment; she was so overwhelmed with emotions at the sight of her husband.  
  
"Laura, are you all right?" Jack looked at her curiously.  
  
She stood up, looking at him for a very long moment, trying to commit every detail of his face to her memory.   
  
"Who was that on the phone? Did they say something that upset you?" Jack still tried to figure what could possibly be making her act so strange.  
  
He didn't much time to think, however, because in the next moment, Irina stepped towards him, crushing her mouth against his. Jack responded, a bit surprised as Irina's kiss grew in urgency. Irina couldn't help it-she wanted to remember everything about him, and wasn't about to waste their last night together.  
  
Jack knew Laura to be very passionate, but this was different. It was almost as if she was trying to prove something. It was almost as if she was saying good-bye.  
  
~*~  
  
Irina woke up the next morning alone. Jack had already left for work. She looked over to his empty side of the bed, and was overwhelmed with grief. She had seen him, been with him for the last time last night. She wanted to cry so badly that her insides ached. But she couldn't. Irina stood up, pulling on her white bathrobe. She noticed her wedding ring on her finger as she did this. She couldn't bear to take it off.  
  
"Mommy, are you awake?" Irina suddenly heard Sydney's sweet little voice from downstairs.  
  
"Yes, honey, I'm awake." Irina forced her voice to be normal.  
  
Sydney entered the room, dressed in a skirt and adorable shirt with apples on it.  
  
"Do you think this is good for school pictures?" Sydney asked, spinning around.  
  
"I love it, darling." Irina said, hating that she would have to leave her perfect little girl behind.  
  
"I love you, Mommy." Sydney smiled, climbing into bed with Irina.  
  
"You know I love you too, don't you Sydney?" Irina asked.  
  
"Of course." Sydney said simply as if she never even thought of doubting it.  
  
They sat like that for a moment, Irina holding her daughter in her arms, stroking her silky brown hair.  
  
"Mommy, will you make me pancakes?"  
  
"Of course, honey."   
  
They walked downstairs together, and after they ate pancakes, the school bus pulled up to the corner.  
  
"Bye, Mommy!" Sydney kissed her mother on the cheek, grabbing her little red backpack, and racing out the front door.  
  
"Good-bye, Sydney." Irina said to the already closed door, finally letting the tears fall as she picked up the phone to dial Kristoff's number.  
  
~*~  
  
Irina snapped back awake in her cell. She didn't even remember falling asleep. And here she was, alone, after another dream, another memory.  
  
Irina couldn't take this anymore. She couldn't keep remembering things that she had tried so desperately to forget. It was too hard, to painful, even for someone as calloused as her.   
  
She jumped when she heard the bars to her cell rising. Who could possibly be coming to see herthis late at night?   
  
Jack stepped in front of her cell, answering her question. Of course it was him.   
  
He looked sick…very pale, exhausted. It must be important if he'd come to see her like this.  
  
"I know it's late." He started.  
  
She waited, trying very hard to clear her mind and focus on what he was saying.  
  
"Has anyone told you about what happened at SD-6?" He asked.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Sydney was able to gain access to something called Server 47, and with it, the CIA managed to infiltrate and destroy all SD cells, successfully eradicating the Alliance." Jack said all in one breath.  
  
Irina blinked, a little surprised. She regarded his expression for a moment.  
  
"And you and I are both thinking it can't be that simple." She said, smiling slightly.  
  
"Of course. Because here's the thing that's worrying me. Sloane disappeared days before the take-over. Absolutely no word from him throughout this entire ordeal." Jack explained.  
  
They both thought for a moment.  
  
"Sloane wanted this to happen." Irina deduced.  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Exactly. I just don't understand quite what his motives were- I mean, he went so far as to take his own wife's life for the Alliance, and now he wants them destroyed? I just doesn't make sense." Jack shook his head.  
  
"Sloane killed Emily?" Irina's voice sounded upset.  
  
"Yes. I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned it. But, in these past few months, Sloane's been having…episodes that have led him to believe Emily is still alive."  
  
Irina shut her eyes for a moment, thinking. Finally, she opened them again.  
  
"What about Sark?" She asked.  
  
"He wasn't there the day SD-6 was compromised." Jack said.  
  
"Well, you and I both know that Sloane does not enjoy having anyone hold authority over him. Isn't it possible that he and Sark have abandoned SD-6 and started an "alliance" of their own?" Irina proposed.  
  
"Honestly, I couldn't believe no one else at the CIA came to the same conclusion." Jack said, relieved that she was thinking along the same lines as him.  
  
"So what did you come here to ask me?" Irina regarded him thoughtfully.  
  
"Well, what steps should I take here? Where would Sloane and Sark take this project and any of their new recruits?"  
  
"Don't Sloane and Emily own a home in France?" Irina asked.  
  
"Yes, but that would be too risky, it's too close to the Alliance's base of operations. Just because they're destroyed doesn't mean no one will attempt a revenge mission on whoever went rogue on the Alliance. Sloane could be under suspicion for that."  
  
Irina knew he was right, thinking harder, trying to think of anywhere else Sloane had mentioned in the entire time she and Jack had known him. Suddenly, Jack's eyes got very wide just as Irina looked up with a broad smile.  
  
"Fiji." They said at the same moment.  
  
Jack nodded as both of their minds began formulating a plan.   
  
"I'll be back tomorrow with Kendall, Sydney and Vaughn." He promised her, leaving just as abruptly as he had come.  
~*~  
  
A/N- That's it for now! Give me good long reviews and chapter three will be out in no time! Next chapter- Irina gets out of the cell and she and Jack realize that now they've got to follow protocol as handler-asset. Curious? Then review! 


	3. Fiji

A/N- Thanks so much for all your great reviews! I love getting feedback, so keep it coming! (Someone mentioned that Irina already knew Emily was dead- I don't recall that in the "Getaway" episode, but if it did happen already, I apologize for the discrepancy.) All right, on with the story!  
  
Trust Me  
Chapter Three  
  
"One of Jack's good friends from work, Arvin Sloane, has invited us to stay with him and his wife at his home in Fiji this weekend. I just wanted to ask if there was anything special you wanted me to do on this trip." Irina told Kristoff.  
  
"How long have this man and Jack been friends?" Kristoff asked.  
  
"Long enough that he'd tell him things. Things the KGB might want to know." Irina said pointedly.  
  
"All right, well, make sure and plant a bug whenever they're going to talk alone. We might hear something useful."  
  
"Is that all?" Irina stood up, smoothing her skirt.  
  
"Yes. Oh, and Irina?"   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm so glad this operation is off to a good start. If he's already taking you on vacation with him, we're making better progress than I expected." Kristoff smiled.  
  
"Well, what can I say?" Irina joked, picking up her purse.  
  
"Call me when you get back from Fiji, we'll discuss any intel from the trip."   
  
"Of course." Irina shook his hand, leaving the hotel room.  
~*~  
  
Irina knocked on Jack's apartment door, suitcase in tow. She heard a muffled 'Just a minute!' from inside the apartment. Finally he came to the door.  
  
"Hey." He smiled, taking her bags inside.  
  
"Hey. Ready for Fiji?" She grinned widely, coming in.  
  
"I've actually never been there before." Jack said, sitting down on the couch.  
  
"Me neither. It sounds great though. So, are Arvin and Emily meeting us here?"  
  
"Yes, they'll be here at about 3:00. We'll all just take one car to the airport, and I think our flight's at 5:30."  
  
"I'm so glad the office finally gave you a weekend off."  
  
"I know, work's been insane lately." Jack sighed.  
  
"Anything in particular?"  
  
"Oh, just some new project they have me working on."  
  
Irina pretended not to look overly interested.  
  
"What kind of project?" She asked nonchalantly.  
  
"I don't want to bore you with the details. Besides, I don't want to talk about work. This is my one weekend off, the only big decision I want to make is what flavor of margarita to drink." Jack smiled happily.  
  
"You realize this is our first vacation together?" Irina said, leaning towards him slightly.  
  
"Tell me you brought that black bikini and it won't be our last." Jack teased.  
  
"You are so bad." She smiled under his lips as he kissed her.  
  
Irina opened her mouth under his, her eyes closing. As they kissed, Irina suddenly felt a strange chill shoot through her body. She snapped away from him. That was the first time that had ever happened. Usually any sign of affection from Jack was merely a personal victory for her, she thought nothing of it and just saw it as a good sign that she was getting closer to him. This was the first time she had ever felt anything back.  
  
"Something wrong?" Jack looked a little confused.  
  
"No. Nothing's wrong." Irina looked into his eyes for a moment.   
  
She decided to determine if the feelings accompanied with that first kiss were a fluke. They weren't.  
~*~  
  
Three impatient knocks on the door interrupted them a few minutes later. Irina reluctantly pulled away from him.  
  
"That would be them." Jack sighed, thinking that staying at his apartment would be just as exciting as Fiji.  
  
"Hey, don't look so upset. We have the whole weekend." Irina winked, getting up to answer the door even as Jack tried to drag her back to the couch.  
  
Finally, he relented, joining her and opening the door.  
  
"Hello, Jack." Arvin greeted his old friend with a handshake.  
  
"Arvin, Emily, thanks so much for inviting us." Jack smiled.  
  
"Of course. You two are absolutely going to love it there." Emily assured him.  
  
"So, are you going to introduce us?" Arvin asked, looking at Irina.  
  
"Oh, of course. Arvin, Emily, this is Laura Anderson."  
  
"It's so nice to finally put a name with a face." Arvin shook her hand as well.  
  
"Laura, you should be very proud of yourself. I never thought I'd see the day Jack Bristow would be in a relationship that lasted longer than a month." Arvin grinned.  
  
"Hey, there was that one girl…" Jack said helplessly.  
  
"You know, Jack, you are seriously the worst liar in the world." Emily laughed.  
  
"Alright, alright. That's true. I guess I was just waiting for the right person." Jack took Irina's hand, looking at her affectionately.  
  
"Awww." Emily smiled.  
  
"Let's go." Arvin said, rolling his eyes.  
  
It was very strange to see his best friend reduced to such a lovesick puppy.   
  
They all got into Arvin's Mercedes SUV, and headed for the airport.  
  
"So tell us about your place in Fiji." Irina asked.  
  
"Oh, it's the best. Sometimes it feels like the only place we go where you can really be away from it all." Emily said, looking out the window.  
  
"It's where we go when we don't want anyone to find us." Arvin smiled at his wife, and they rode in contented silence the rest of the way.  
~*~  
  
Irina woke up from that dream with a satisfied smile on her face. Sloane was in Fiji. She knew they were right.   
  
But what could they do with this information? Obviously no one Sloane knew from SD-6 could go there, that would be far too suspicious. But they couldn't send some random agent, Sloane and Sark would never trust them enough to tell them anything important.  
  
Irina was struck with a sudden flash of inspiration.  
  
What if she went?  
~*~  
  
Kendall, Sydney, Vaughn and Jack all headed to Irina's cell. Jack was being very secretive; he wouldn't tell them anything about why he had asked for this meeting until they were there.  
  
They reached the cell at last, and Irina was already wide awake, obviously lost in thought. She snapped out of it when she heard the doors to her cell rising.   
  
"Irina, as promised, I've called a meeting to discuss our idea." Jack said, turning to face Kendall, Syd, and Vaughn.  
  
He didn't say anything, so Irina began.  
  
"Jack came to see me last night, and told me the state of the Alliance. Why I agree that this a victory for the CIA, we both refuse to believe that anything is ever tied up that nicely. Sloane and Sark's simultaneous disappearances led us to speculate that they have joined forces and possibly planned for the destruction of the Alliance."  
  
Kendall opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off.  
  
"Irina and I theorized that they would set up their new base of operations in Fiji. Sloane has a home there, and hardly anyone but his closest friends knew this. So basically, just me, Irina, and his wife knew of its existence. This would be a perfect place to stage Phase Two of whatever plan they've concocted." Jack finished.  
  
"But, Dad, why would Sloane want the Alliance destroyed?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Seperation of power makes Sloane nervous. He likes knowing that he is in ultimate control. As long as the Alliance existed, that could never be possible." Jack answered.  
  
Kendall, Syd and Vaughn considered this for a moment.  
  
"So what exactly are you two proposing we do about this?"  
  
"That's why we called the meeting." Jack shrugged.  
  
"Actually, Jack, I had an idea while you were gone." Irina spoke, almost a little nervous about what they would all say to something her proposition.  
  
"Go ahead." Kendall looked at her curiously.  
  
"Well, I considered all possibilities, and there's no chance we could send anyone from SD-6 in. Sloane would know that they were working for the CIA now. A random agent would never bring any results- Sloane and Sark would tell them nothing. So, that's why I decided- the only person who could go and yield anything substantial is me."   
  
"You have got to be kidding me." Kendall shook his head.   
  
"I realize that this would put me in a situation that would require an immense amount of trust on the CIA's part. But think about it- Sloane knows me and knows I'm alive. But for all he knows, I'm still a terrorist. Sark's worked with me for years, I practically raised him. All he knows is that I disappeared. Both men would see me as a valuable asset to whatever they're trying to accomplish." She finished.  
  
"That is true." Sydney said, looking at Kendall.  
  
"And what's stopping you from actually joining forces with them and burning us as soon as we let you go?" Kendall looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"If you even suspected me, you could rig me with something that would…end my collaboration."  
  
"You'd agree to that?" Jack looked a little surprised, speaking for the first time.  
  
"Of course." Irina nodded.  
  
Kendall thought for a long moment. Finally he spoke.  
  
"Well, Drevko, I must admit it's all we got right now. And if you and Jack are correct, which I'm assuming is true, the CIA has to have someway of fighting against this."  
  
"So I can go?" Irina said, feeling a surge of excitement.  
  
"You can go." Kendall nodded.  
  
Irina smiled widely.  
~*~  
  
"Jack, I'm really going out on a limb for you here." Kendall told him as the two men left the Ops building.  
  
"For me?" Jack questioned.  
  
"You want her to go, don't you?" Kendall looked at him.  
  
"I want the CIA to destroy the Sloane-Sark alliance, and if Irina can do that, then, yes, I want her to go."  
  
"Well, since now she is an official asset of the CIA on this mission, I'm assigning you as her case-officer. You'll assign counter-missions, you'll watch surveillance, this is your op."   
  
Jack looked a little surprised.  
  
"Isn't there someone else for that job?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, come on, Jack, it's not like I'm asking you to be her best friend. Everybody's overbooked with Alliance clean-up right now, I don't have many agents to spare. If we're going to do something this risky, I'd much rather have a senior officer like yourself handling it."  
  
"Fair enough." Jack shrugged, relenting.  
  
It wouldn't be that bad. He could handle her. Jack mentally shook himself. He could handle THIS.   
  
A/N- That's it for now! Please leave me a nice, long review. Next Chapter- We see how well Jack and Irina make out at their first meeting (hehe, don't get excited-none of that yet), and Irina, Sloane, and Sark have a reunion. 


	4. Prove It

A/N- Sorry this took so long to update- I could tell you why, but you would be bored to tears, as I often am when thinking about school. ANYWAYS- please read and review, thanks for feedback, give me more!  
  
Trust Me  
Chapter Four  
  
Irina looked out the window of her cell, thinking that this would be her last night here in awhile. Suddenly, the door to her cell opened. She turned around with surprise.  
  
Jack stood there, in her cell, looking at her for a long moment.  
  
She was little shocked- he usually didn't just waltz right into her cell with no explanation.  
  
"Is something wrong, Jack? Is it Sydney?" She didn't cross to him, just stayed where she was.  
  
"No, nothing's wrong. I just think we need to talk before you leave your cell."  
  
Irina waited for him to continue.  
  
"I hope you realize the opportunity you're getting here. This could be it, the end of everything with Sloane that's been ruining Sydney and mine's life. You could do that for us. And you're the only person who can."  
  
"I know."   
  
"And that's the only reason I'm giving a single fraction of trust here. Because we don't have any other choice."  
  
"Jack, listen to me. I have nothing to gain by lying here. The CIA will kill me the instant they suspect me. And if I did escape by some impossible means- I would have lost my husband and daughter's trust all over again-"  
  
"You haven't had mine for twenty years." Jack cut her off harshly.  
  
"Well, here's my chance to get it back." She looked at him defiantly.  
  
"Oh, like it's just that easy." Jack said somewhat incredulously.  
  
"Well, what the hell do you want me to do here, Jack? I have done nothing but help you and Sydney ever since I came back! You've done everything possible to distance yourself from our daughter and you've made it easier by blaming it on the monster you've created from me! I have done everything possible to try to make it up to my family, the family I never even wanted to leave! The family I made excuses for to the KGB for years! Everything I said I felt for both of you was real, and no matter how much you don't want to hear that, it's the truth. You can hate me forever, Jack, but you and I both know that's getting no one anywhere. The sooner you start to forgive me, the better this mission will go."  
  
"Why should this mission have anything to do with how I feel about you?" Jack said in a dangerously quiet tone.  
  
Irina didn't exactly have an answer for that; once she had started to talk she couldn't seem to stop herself. She hadn't really thought any of that through, which was very unusual for her. So, she instead went to heart of what this conversation was really about.  
  
"What could I possibly say to make you believe I'm telling the truth?" She stepped closer to him, taking his upper arm in her grip, forcing him not to look away.  
  
"There's nothing you can say," Jack paused for what seemed like an eternity, "But there's one thing you can do." He lowered his face very close to hers, and for one wild moment, Irina thought he was going to kiss her.  
  
But he didn't.   
  
"Prove it to me." He whispered, his mouth so close to hers that she tried very hard not to do anything they would both regret.  
  
With that, he jerked away from her, slamming the door as he left.  
~*~  
  
Irina had a very strange dream that night. It wasn't a memory, it was something else entirely. She was walking down a very dark hallway, her footsteps the only sound. She was weak with fatigue and every muscle in her body ached. Suddenly, a dim light flickered on. She saw that she had come to the end of the hallway, and in front of her were three doors.   
  
Next to her on the wall was a mirror. She looked into it, and her reflection was strangely different from her face. Her reflection had a malevolent but somewhat amused expression. It spoke, but Irina's lips were not moving.  
  
"Well, are just going to stand there or are you going to choose?" The reflection asked her.  
  
Irina looked down to see that her hands were soaked in blood. Whose, she did not know.  
  
She opened the first door and Sydney stood behind it, looking very worried.  
  
"You're bleeding, Mom." Sydney looked at her mother's bloody hands.  
  
"How do you know it's mine?" Irina asked.  
  
"You can't kill again. You wouldn't." Sydney said softly, and the door slammed shut.  
  
Irina opened the second door, and saw Sark looking at her with a sad smile.  
  
"Choose your side, Irina." He said.  
  
Irina didn't say anything, just looked at the man who she had molded into what he was today and marveled at how different he was from her actual child.  
  
"I can't choose." She said sadly.  
  
"You have to bloody choose! Ask yourself, Irina, what do you really want?" And with that, Sark's door slammed shut as well.  
  
She opened the last door, and saw not herself, but Laura.  
  
"You know exactly what you want," Laura looked at her for a moment, "But what will have to be lost before you'll admit it?"  
  
Irina opened her mouth to reply, but the door slammed shut, and the dream ended.   
~*~  
  
The next morning, Irina was awakened by a knocking on her glass. She sat up immediately, her bleary eyes focusing. Sydney was tapping on the glass, smiling slightly.  
  
"Ready to go, Mom?" She asked.  
  
Irina nodded, smiling back at her daughter.  
  
Sydney motioned to the guards, and the doors to her cell slid open. It was just that simple. She was free.  
  
She stepped out of the cell, feeling a happy little chill shoot through her body as she realized she was about to finally go on a mission again.  
  
"Are you my escort out of my cell?" Irina asked.  
  
"Kendall said if you're going to be a field agent, we might as well start treating you like one. We can't exactly send the armed guards with you to Fiji."  
  
Irina nodded.  
  
"Do you feel all right?" Sydney asked her as they started walking down the hallway.  
  
"Why do you ask?" Irina looked at her curiously.  
  
"Well, it's just I've never seen you sleeping so late before." Sydney said.  
  
"Couldn't fall asleep last night." Irina shrugged.  
  
"All right, well, I hope you're rested, because today's going to busy. You're supposed to meet Dad and Marshall here in a few minutes, they'll debrief you and as far as I understand, you leave tonight."  
  
"Thank you, Sydney."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For trusting me." Irina looked at her seriously.  
  
Sydney was about to deny it, but then realized that she wasn't really worried about her mother betraying them. She knew this might be giving her far too much credit, but for some reason, she didn't really think so. Sydney had always been one to follow her instinct, and her gut told her that Irina was really in this to help them.  
  
"Don't make me regret it." Sydney replied quietly.  
~*~  
  
A/N- Hope everyone liked this, I'll have Part Five up as soon as possible. Next Chapter- The Sloane-Sark-Irina reunion, sorry I didn't quite get to it. The more reviews, the faster it will come! Thanks guys! 


	5. Old Alliances and New

A/N- Again, thanks for all the reviews, that's what keeps me writing. You guys are the best. All right, here's part five.   
  
Trust Me  
Chapter Five  
  
Jack walked up moments later, accompanied by a very short man with a nervous, wide-eyed expression.  
  
Sydney smiled slightly at her mother, walking away.  
  
"Good morning, Irina. This is Marshall, he'll be your Op-Tech for this mission." Jack said in a somewhat clipped tone.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Irina shook his somewhat clammy hand.  
  
"It's a pleasure, Miss Derevko, or Irina, or whatever you want me to call you, I don't really know because we've never met, and frankly I'm a little scared of you and I really don't want to make you mad by calling you the wrong thing and-"  
  
"Irina's fine." She cut him off.  
  
"Right. Well, here's my first little invention," Marshall pulled out a box which held two small diamond earrings, "Which I'm actually really proud of because it's the first time I've gotten audio/visual to work this well in jewelry and it's actually kind of a technological breakthrough if you think about it because these babies can broadcast in color and we're talking about earrings which are like you know this big, but it's practically like watching digital television from where we'll be seeing the broadcast and Jack told me that you always wore the same pair of diamond earrings so Mr. Sloane and Sark won't think it's weird that you're wearing them, and even if they did check it for bugs, they're undetectable by most devices, so you know, you're good to go." Marshall smiled proudly at Jack and Irina, and was met with two identically furrowed brows.  
  
"Wow, tough crowd." He joked.  
  
"Anything else, Marshall?" Jack asked.  
  
"Um…I guess that's all." He looked down at his shoes. Jack Bristow and Irina Derevko officially freaked him out.  
  
Marshall shuffled off to go listen to techno in his new CIA office as Irina started to put the earrings in.  
  
"He seems..." Irina was at a loss for words.  
  
"I know. But he's brilliant, really, and he's saved both mine and Sydney's lives more times than I can count." Jack shrugged.  
  
Irina grinned.  
  
"I'll take your word for it." She still struggled with the earring.  
  
Irina let out a very dramatic sigh. Jack rolled his eyes.  
  
"Let me do it." He said begrudgingly.  
  
She smiled at her victory as he leaned over her, putting in the earrings. Irina enjoyed the feeling of Jack being this close to her while it lasted. Their proximity right now was both familiar and awkward as Jack pulled back slightly.  
  
"Done." He said, stepping away from her almost immediately.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Everything you see, say, and hear will be broadcasted directly to my desk. Your helicopter leaves in two hours." Jack pulled something out of his jacket pocket, a bracelet.  
  
"What's this?" Irina looked at him curiously.  
  
"You remember the C4 necklace?"  
  
Irina nodded.  
  
"Well, apparently, explosive jewelry is now available in a wide-range of styles," Jack said as Irina tried not to laugh at his completely serious expression, "This is the bracelet that basically has the same capabilities, it's just much less conspicuous. Try to take it off at any time or engage in any activity I find suspicious-"  
  
"I know the drill, Jack." Irina said, taking the bracelet and putting it on, hearing a slight hum as she snapped the clasp. As soon as it was on, it didn't make a sound.  
  
"Any questions?" Jack leaned against the desk behind him, crossing his arms.  
  
"What exactly is the CIA going to do with the intel I provide from this? Am I supposed to destroy Sloane and Sark's alliance from within, or just clear a path for agents to infiltrate?"  
  
"We need to see the mission goes before that can be determined. This attachment to the bracelet serves as a communication device. When we need to speak to you, the bracelet will send out heat pulses. Get where you can be alone, and push the attachment, we'll speak with you through that."   
  
Irina snapped the small silver attachment onto the bracelet.  
  
"Anything else?" Jack looked very eager to leave.  
  
"No." Irina said, looking away.  
  
"Well, then, have a nice flight." He walked briskly away.  
  
She sadly watched him leave.  
~*~  
  
"Mr. Sloane, there's someone on the premises." Sark looked curiously at the surveillance screens as Sloane entered the room.  
  
"Well who the hell is it?" Sloane asked, leaning over Sark to look at the screen.  
  
"Hold on…I'll get an ID." Sark froze the screen as the woman looked up.  
  
She was wearing large dark sunglasses, but even so, she looked very familiar to him. He couldn't quite figure out why.  
  
The database was scanning all the names of people Sark and Sloane had given clearance to be on the premises. The screen came up NO MATCH.  
  
"Go take care of whoever it is, Sark. We can't have random intruders."  
  
"Yes, sir." Sark took a rifle off the wall, leaving the room.  
  
Sloane sat down to watch the confrontation and make sure everything went smoothly.  
~*~  
  
Irina felt her heart beating hard against her chest. She had scanned the building for snipers, but had seen none. She figured that if she just walked right in, they would see this as a courageous move and possibly accept her more quickly.  
  
"Hands on your head!" She heard a familiar British accent shout.  
  
Irina complied, suddenly feeling the barrel of a gun against the back of her head. Where the hell had he come from? Sark had certainly gotten better at stealth, she thought with a smile, remembering some of his earliest disastrous missions.  
  
"Identify yourself or I'll shoot." Sark said, frisking her quickly for weapons.  
  
"Sark…it's me." Irina said softly.  
  
She heard the gun drop to the ground, so she turned around to face him, taking off her sunglasses.  
  
Sark was speechless for a moment, his blue eyes wide with shock.  
  
"Irina?" He rasped, his usually confident voice shaking slightly.  
  
She nodded, smiling.  
  
"What…what are you doing here?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"I'm back, baby." She grinned.  
  
Sark laughed, shaking his head.  
  
"Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was when you just disappeared for months?"   
  
"I went into hiding for awhile. The CIA was practically breathing down my neck, I decided it was the best course of action to make myself disappear."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped." Sark still looked confused and a little hurt.  
  
"I should have told you, Sark. I didn't have time to enlist any help. I'm sorry. But I'm back now. I've been hearing rumors about you and Sloane's new arrangement. I couldn't resist coming to see for myself if they were true."  
  
"So here you are." Sark shook his head, smiling in amazement.  
  
"Here I am." Irina smiled, putting her hand on his shoulder affectionately.  
  
"Sloane's not going to believe this." Sark sounded excited as they turned to walk back inside together.  
~*~  
  
"So how did everything go this morning?" Sydney asked her father, picking at her chicken caesar salad.  
  
She and Jack had finally decided to go out to dinner together at Sydney's favorite restaurant.  
  
"Everything went fine." Jack said, obviously distracted by something.  
  
Sydney sat in silence for a moment.  
  
"You seem worried about something."  
  
He looked vaguely annoyed.  
  
"I'm fine." Jack sounded as if he really didn't want her to pursue it any longer, and Sydney didn't really feel like starting a fight, so she tried to think of a way to change the subject.  
  
She thought of the reason she had asked him to go to dinner with her, and cringed. Vaughn. She had to tell him sooner or later, and she certainly didn't want him to find out from any other source. She and Vaughn were getting serious very fast and it seemed strange to keep something like this from her father, even though that's what she had been forced to do most of her life. She was tired of not telling him things.  
  
"Dad, I need to tell you something." She started hesitantly.  
  
Jack looked up at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.  
  
Sydney took a long drink from her wine glass, preparing herself. This was ridiculous. She was an adult. It's not like he was going to take her car away for the weekend or something. She was almost thirty; this shouldn't scare her.  
  
"Agent Vaughn…Michael and I…we-we're dating." She said this all in one long fumbling breath.  
  
"What?" Jack sounded angry.  
  
"We started dating…right after the take-down of SD-6."  
  
Jack was silent for a long moment, staring at his spaghetti plate.  
  
"Dad, don't be mad at me."  
  
"I'm not mad at you."  
  
"Yes, you are!"   
  
"It's just that…I think you're behaving a little rashly is all."  
  
"How so? We waited two years before we even thought about it! And SD-6 is gone, so there's no protocol against it now!"  
  
"Both of your jobs are in jeopardy if the CIA finds out." Jack pointed out.  
  
"Oh, please, I think I'm smart enough to know to keep it under the radar, Dad. I just wanted to tell you because I thought, or I guess hoped, that maybe you could find it somewhere in your heart to be happy that your daughter has finally found someone she loves! Most fathers want that for their children! But you're not like most fathers are you? You can't even pretend!"  
  
"Sydney, Sloane could very well still be out there. In fact, the odds are greatly in favor of it. For all we know, he could have someone watching us, the two agents who betrayed him for years. He's already threatened your life when he called you on graduation. If you make one move against him, and he finds out you're seeing someone, especially someone you claim to "love", what do you think his first move in retaliation would be?"  
  
Sydney looked at her father for a long moment, her eyes flashing with anger.  
  
"I should have known you'd see it this way. Relationships are nothing to you except a weakness. You can't see that anyone could ever open their heart to someone and not expect deceit in return. Just because you've decided to live your life refusing to ever let yourself feel anything for anyone doesn't mean I have to live the same way! I want to be happy, Dad! I'm thrilled that I'm in love with someone, and if that puts us in danger, well, what the hell doesn't? Sometimes, love is worth the risk. I don't care what you think about Vaughn and me. But someday, for your sake, I hope you can figure that out." Sydney slammed her fork down, grabbed her coat, and left.  
~*~  
  
"Look who I found." Sark announced, entering the room where Sloane was talking on the phone to Emily.  
  
Sloane put up his hand asking Sark to wait a minute, still not turning around.  
  
"All right, I miss you too, sweetheart." He said, going to hang up the phone.  
  
"Tell Emily I said hello." Irina said, grinning.  
  
Sloane almost dropped the phone, spinning around in his chair.  
  
"I'll call you later." He said quickly, slamming the phone into the receiver.  
  
"Irina?" He gasped.  
  
"In the flesh." She smiled, leaning against a table.  
  
"How-whe-you…" He stammered, unable to pick question.  
  
"Rumors of you and Sark's alliance have been everywhere. I heard of it from one of my former contacts, and decided to see for myself. No one else really thinks the two of you would have the audacity to pull it off. I thought otherwise." She smiled at her former friend.  
  
Sloane shook his head, completely shocked.  
  
"It's been a long time," he said, standing up, "I must say, you've turned out quite a bit different from the woman I knew twenty years ago. Not that I don't respect the work you've done…but you were hardly the innocent schoolteacher." Sloane laughed.  
  
"I don't know about that…she taught me everything I know." Sark said, grinning.  
  
"Well, you're hardly innocent." She looked at Sark, raising an eyebrow.  
  
The three new allies stood in comfortable silence for a moment, not knowing that the CIA was getting full video access to this conversation. Irina didn't even realize she was playing with the bracelet on her wrist.  
  
"Is that new?" Sark asked, gesturing towards her bracelet.  
  
"Oh, yes, it is. Bought it for myself to celebrate coming out of hiding." Irina smiled, feeling her heart beat a little faster as she desperately hoped the bracelet didn't look suspicious.  
  
"I see you stopped wearing your wedding ring. I always thought that was one of your more interesting quirks." Sark continued.  
  
Damn, she'd forgotten how observant he was. In truth, her ring was locked up in some CIA vault, taken from her when she had turned herself in.  
  
"I'm sure Irina doesn't want to dwell on the past," thankfully, Sloane interrupted, "I'm assuming you're here to help us in our operation?"  
  
"That's right. Put me to work. These past few years have been mind-numbingly dull." Irina smiled.  
  
"Well, we have plenty to keep you busy." Sloane said, relieved they had such a powerful new ally who was already familiar with Rambaldi's work.  
~*~  
  
A/N- That's it for now! Please leave me reviews! 


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